Types of Ocarinas
The ocarina is an ancient vessel-flute wind instrument. There are several variations that exist, from pendants to transverse to the large pregnaphones, all of which have a closed body at both ends to create an enclosed cavity and is perforated with anywhere from 4 to more than 17 holes. French traduction: L'ocarina est un ancien instrument à vent.Il y a de nombreuses formes et version qui existent,des pendantifs en passant par les transverses,de quatre à plus de Dix Sept trous. Pendant Pendant: A small ocarina which is meant to be worn as a necklace. Pendant ocarinas are known to have several fingering systems employed to play the pitches of a musical scale. The English 4 hole system which was developed in the 1960's by an Englishman, John Taylor is well suited to the size constraints of a small pendant ocarina. The English 4 hole system allows a 13 note chromatic range to be played using cross fingering and half-hole playing technique. The English 4 hole fingering system has also been modified to what is termed "extended" with the addition of one or two thumbholes which allow extra notes to be played. Other fingering systems are also used, such as 4 hole Peruvian, 8 hole Peruvian (6 on front, 2 on back), 9 hole system (7 on front, 2 on back). Note: The above mentioned list of fingering systems is not exhaustive, it is just a sample of systems that may be used on pendant ocarinas. *Peruvian *English Transverse These ocarinas are also colloquially called "sweet potato". *Various numbers of holes (6-13 are the most common); *10 hole or Classic Sweet Potato; *12 hole or Modern Sweet Potato; *There are also some 13 hole variants. Inline Inline: An ocarina with a mouthpiece which is parallel or inline with the main body of the ocarina, such that a players breath is blown along the length of the ocarina. Some pendant ocarinas fall into this category as well. The inline ocarina is a relatively new development when compared to the long history of the transverse ocarina. The inline borrows the fingering methodology of the transverse but places the toneholes in parallel directly across from or slightly offset from each other on the top of the ocarina, plus two toneholes to be covered by the thumbs underneath. Current commercially available inline ocarinas have either 9, 10 or 12 toneholes. The 12 hole version having the greatest range. Many players find the inline ocarina comfortable to hold and play. In particular those players who have played either the penny whistle or recorder may really enjoy the inline ocarina. *8 holes is common, but they have been known to come with varying numbers of holes Multichambered Multichambered ocarinas were created to extend the limited playing range. *Double *Triple *Quadruple Unique *These can be ornamental or specialized designs *Jug (jugarina) *Pregnaphone *Gemshorn *Tea cup (teacarina) *Keyed *Tunable Materials Ocarinas can also be categorized by the materials that they are created from. Common ocarina materials include: clay (ceramic), wood, and plastic. Other materials such as glass or metal can be used, but are not as common. It is also noted that ancient variants have been made from animal bones, antler, gourds, jade, quartz, and even seed pods. Regions A third way to categorize types of ocarinas is their country of origin. Asian *Chinese *Japanese *Korean *Taiwanese Australian *Australian European *English *German *Italian North American *American South American *Peruvian See Also *Manufacturers *Pendant *Transverse *Multichambered Category:Ocarina Type